The world of professional sports had a strong reaction to James Wiseman's 12-game suspension by the NCAA, but many are especially up in arms by the ruling that the Memphis Tigers freshman is being forced to pay a whopping $11,500 in donations to charity to be restituted and regain eligibility.
Not only has the NCAA been against players profiting from their likeness, but they also slapped a stiff fine to a player who, in their eyes, is not supposed to be paid to play.
Former NBA legend and TNT color analyst Reggie Miller was appalled by the NCAA's decision:
What a minute, so James Wiseman is suspended 11 more games, and he or family must pay $11,500 to a charity of their choice? Or Memphis will pay the money? How is the family going to pay this when they had problems moving in the first place?? Asking for a friend…
— Reggie Miller (@ReggieMillerTNT) November 20, 2019
Josh Hart of the New Orleans Pelicans was a student-athlete at Villanova just a few years ago, so this one hits home for the 6-foot-5 sharpshooter:
The @NCAA some 🤡
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) November 20, 2019
Not letting a kid get paid then saying he has to donate $11,500 to charity to play 🤡
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) November 20, 2019
Former NBA swingman Josh Childress noted Wiseman would be better off just taking the rest of the season off and working out for the draft, now that he has met the collegiate conditions to play at the next level:
He should just go train for the draft. The @NCAA is just hurting themselves on this one. https://t.co/Z5pMItmOgk
— Josh Childress (@JChillin) November 20, 2019
You’re penalizing a kid for accepting benefits when he was 7 years old, and then rule that he can serve a suspension and pay 12k to charity. If he’s an ‘amateur’ where is he supposed to just get 12k? @NCAA why does your president make over $2M a year yet limit what kids can make?
— Josh Childress (@JChillin) November 20, 2019
Even NFL players were outraged by the NCAA's decision to fine him, starting with longtime running back DeAngelo Williams:
😆😆😆😆😆now in order for wiseman to get the 11k+ is to now break the very rule u accused him of in the first place lmao this has to be a joke right? https://t.co/d3c4IVzVbX
— DeAngelo Williams (@DeAngeloRB) November 20, 2019
Even reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes chimed in, not able to get the words out in light of this scandal:
Wait what?? Like how is… never mind… smh https://t.co/XyA4LoA0ue
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) November 20, 2019
The most vital call to action came from former Duke standout and ESPN analyst Jay Williams, who started a GoFundMe in the name of Wiseman, considering that using money from friends or family would be violating the NCAA's current rule:
A mandatory listen. This is for you James Wiseman. Let’s all help. https://t.co/LQktK3UQtg pic.twitter.com/z89erD8WlH
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) November 21, 2019
It seems the NCAA has made yet another disastrous decision to penalize a student-athlete, this time including a fine. This seems like a retaliation tactic after James Wiseman challenged the NCAA's initial ruling to suspend him and went on to play against the University of Illinois at Chicago on Nov. 8 and later against the University of Oregon before he decided to sit out and the NCAA came down with this decision.
It has surely been a PR fiasco for the NCAA in the past few years, but this conviction of student-athletes has now gone to astronomical levels. While this $11,500 fine doesn't seem like much to the average eye used to hefty fines issued by the NBA, NFL, and other professional leagues, the request of that hefty donation is the embodiment of hypocrisy by a governing group that constantly soils the very ground it walks on when you take into consideration that Wiseman's only job is to go to school and go to practice.
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